Saturday, February 2, 2013

“It is the scientists who are asking for regulation and precaution”

Suman Sahai

What do you think of environmentalist Mark Lynas’ sudden change of
heart – from being an anti-GM crusader to a pro-GM crusader?

It is a renewed propaganda push to create goodwill around GM crop. This
is a product that very large corporations are trying to sell. India is a
very particular target because of large scale rejections (of GM crop) in
Europe, many parts of Africa and Latin America. For these corporations,
there are only two big potential markets – India and China. Everybody knows
it is impossible to influence Chinese policy because they are very
determined about what they want and what not. India is perceived as a soft
target with a big market and therefore a huge amount of propaganda is
directed towards India and Indian policy making.

What is your stand on promoting GM crops in India?
As a scientist, geneticist, this is my subject. It is the scientists who
are asking for regulation and precaution right from the beginning. The (GM)
industry is trying to cut corners on regulation because adequate bio-safety
testing costs money. It is my firm belief that had this technology been
purely in public sector it would still be in the laboratory. It would only
come to market after it was sufficiently and properly tested.
If you want to engage in science and technology that has a downside – any
potential risk of the GM product having an allergenic component – but
potential for benefits, then you have to be super careful to evaluate
safety.____________________________________

Sahai is a geneticist, Padma Shree awardee and winner of 2004 Borlaug
Award for contribution to agriculture and environment

About Me

Dr. Suman Sahai, who has had a distinguished scientific career in the field of genetics, is a recipient of the Padma Shri,the Borlaug Award, Outstanding Woman Achiever awards, the BirbalSahni Gold Medal and the Order of the Golden Ark .
Dr. Sahai is founder Chairperson of the Gene Campaign which is a leading research and advocacy organization, working on issues relating to food, nutrition and livelihoods. She has published extensively on science and policy issues and is a member of several national policy forums on scientific research and education, biodiversity and environment, biotechnology and bioethics as well as intellectual property rights.
Dr Sahai chaired India’s Planning Commission Task Force on ‘Agro biodiversity and Genetically Engineered Organisms’, for the XIth Plan. She was a member of the Steering Committee of the National Biodiversity Board , the Expert Committee on Biotechnology Policy and the Bioethics Committee of the Indian Council of Medical Research.She has served on the Research Advisory Committees of national scientific institutions.
Dr Sahai can be reached at www.genecampaign.org and mail@genecampaign.org